.....About 10-15 years ago, I told my kids to sock away as much money as they could afford. And the reason for this? I just knew that by the time they were of retirement age, $100,000 would not be enough to allow them to live in the same way they were living. So, as of these days, one would need in the red zone about $275,00 if the wanted to live well. In retirement where would the money go? Well, eating out quite often. The wife has cooked lont enough, she feels. So, then the oven becomes a big flower pot. Then of course, there are cruises. Every retiree needs to go on a cruise. Gas prices have gone sky high, and money is easily lost in nearby casinos. If any of your grandchildren are sending their kids (my great-children. I have teo now) to college, tuition eats cash like a vampire suchs blood! I could go on, but it's too late now to "sock it away."
.....Just got an email today from Jimmy Zurer. I can't believe I have one more former studed from North Shore High reading my blog-although I don't see what's interesting in it. But Jim reminds me that next Friday I'm going to teach "Hamlet" to some elderly people here. When I say "some elderly" I'm talking about 8 who have registered. Imagine. Of the 5000 people who live in Huntington Lakes, only 8 people signed up. Perhqpq 5h3yr jot interewted in Whalespeare, or the $47.50 price tag is scaring them. See? They failed to sock it away. Eight people, when about 10 or 15 years ago, I got about 45 signees on aferage in eadh class that I taught. I was only going to hold a class unless there were 12, but 8 would give me something to do on Frifays.
.....The other day I went to my neurologist and when I left, he gave RH+a prescription fir me to go to a pyst ed facility to get some, well,--phys ed. Now, all my life I've been pumping iron, swimming a milek, and jogging 5-10 miles. Besides this kind of exercise, I've spent 30 years, indoors and outdoors coaching soccer and track running and jogging and practicing with the boys. All this exercise got me into shape to run 26 mile marathons. Which I did before retiring to Florida to get a rest. Now, I'm to schedule phys ed for an hour twice a week. I JUST WANT TO REST. I'll be 91 next mongth and I want to be left alone. Is it too much to ask, or do I skip the exercise?
.....The other day I went to my neurologist and when I left, he gave RH+a prescription fir me to go to a pyst ed facility to get some, well,--phys ed. Now, all my life I've been pumping iron, swimming a milek, and jogging 5-10 miles. Besides this kind of exercise, I've spent 30 years, indoors and outdoors coaching soccer and track running and jogging and practicing with the boys. All this exercise got me into shape to run 26 mile marathons. Which I did before retiring to Florida to get a rest. Now, I'm to schedule phys ed for an hour twice a week. I JUST WANT TO REST. I'll be 91 next mongth and I want to be left alone. Is it too much to ask, or do I skip the exercise?
I'd LOVE to be at your "Hamlet" classes, dear Baron! Even if it costs money. I keep saying that money's not a problem, unless you haven't got it! Btw, what flowers do you grow in/on your oven? Red hot pokers seem to constitute the only flower that comes to mind. Seriously, you and Rh+ SHOULDN'T eat out all the time. You don't know what the restaurateurs are putting into your food - stabilising or preservative or flavour-enhancing chemicals, and trans-fats, for example - nor what they're leaving out, eg. vitamins, minerals and roughage. Moreover, the restaurateurs have complete choice of how little of the more expensive protein element and how much of the cheaper carbohydrate element they set before you. IT IS NOT A GOOD LIFESTYLE CHOICE!!! Much love, Cuzzin Ruth
ReplyDeleteWhat the restaurateur is putting into my dinner, who cares? Like I say, at 91 I wanna do what I wanna do Or like Durante, inka doo, inka, dinka do.
DeleteSkip the exercise. When you get the urge to exercise, take a nap instead. You're correct. Why don't they leave us alone?
DeleteWhy are the old so IRRESPONSIBLE? Cuz R ;-)
ReplyDelete...because we tried "responsible" and it doesn't work.
DeleteAbout 15 years ago, I asked a colleague who was excellent at finances how much I needed to "sock away" by the time I retire. I don't know where you got your $100,000 figure (maybe in the 1980s?), but back then he said I would need $1 million in assets. By now, that figure is probably $2 million.
ReplyDeleteCheck out what I wrote: $100,000 would not be enough". Tell your friend to look for a different job. It would be nice if you had 1mil, but you don't need it. I said "about 275K" would serve you well. NOW!
DeleteI don’t know if you all aware that my means of locomotion have been limited for the past year or so. I do not own a car, but I do have 2 medical scooters that I zip around this condo with shopping bags hanging on each side of my handlebars. No, I don’t use the two together. One is for short distances less than a couple of miles and the other, a heavier and larger contraption, for quests up to 10 miles.
ReplyDeleteMy walking ability with the aid of or a cane, allows me the freedom to get out of the medical scooter and walk to the assigned restaurant table, or to the men’s room or to my mailbox in the lobby of my building. Half the time, I forget to take the cane and when I leave my motorized aid, I hear the “wildest” remarks from onlookers. “Oh My God, Look. He can walk” is a simple form of the remark. Somehow I misunderstand why are they acting like I just came from Lourdes and they have seen a miracle.
I remember a story that this wealthy dowager, clad with expensive jewelry and pearls, following her uniformed chauffer, who is pushing a robust looking healthy young gentleman, in a wheelchair. The young man then gets up and proceeds to walk. Aghast, the remarks! “My God, Look. He can walk” and the dowager responding Of course, he can. But why should he? I love that story.
Of course, I can walk, and that is not quite as similar to this saga, but I think you get my point. Yesterday at my local Chinese restaurant, I arose to use the men’s room, and I heard the owner gasp with a close rendition of holy revelation, “Oh My God….well, you know the rest. I was on the verge of shouting something starting with Hallelujah and attributing this miracle to the properties of the Hot Sour soup that I just drank. I didn’t though, and I’ll always regret that missed opportunity.
Had to share this.
Mike - even if your compatriots are too stupid to realize that managing disability means doing what you can, and getting technical or human help for the bits that you can't do, and that it all means compromise, haven't they heard of GOOD MANNERS??? Over here, even if we're surprised by what we see, we DON'T pass audible remarks about it! We quietly and unobtrusively observe what's going on and carry on with our normal business, unless it appears that the disabled person needs help, in which case we discreetly offer it. (in English English, this invariably starts with the question: "You all right, mate?")
ReplyDeleteYes, your story about the able-bodied rich man was funny. But sad too. Autonomy and independence are precious to all, poor or rich. When Christopher Reeve ("Superman") lost his ability to walk as a result of a riding mishap, he had all the top-class care money could buy. Yet his dearest wish was to be able to get up and wander into the next room to grab a fag. (Oops - that means a cigarette in our language, not a gay brother!) Cuzzin Ruth
Mike - even if your compatriots are too stupid to realize that managing disability means doing what you can, and getting technical or human help for the bits that you can't do, and that it all means compromise, haven't they heard of GOOD MANNERS??? Over here, even if we're surprised by what we see, we DON'T pass audible remarks about it! We quietly and unobtrusively observe what's going on and carry on with our normal business, unless it appears that the disabled person needs help, in which case we discreetly offer it. (in English English, this invariably starts with the question: "You all right, mate?")
ReplyDeleteYes, your story about the able-bodied rich man was funny. But sad too. Autonomy and independence are precious to all, poor or rich. When Christopher Reeve ("Superman") lost his ability to walk as a result of a riding mishap, he had all the top-class care money could buy. Yet his dearest wish was to be able to get up and wander into the next room to grab a fag. (Oops - that means a cigarette in our language, not a gay brother!) Cuzzin Ruth
I see, Cuz,--over here when we are surprised should we see 3 guys with guns shooting and killing 12 people-- we panic. We also have good manners and we don't pass audible remarks. We run like hell and don't stop to say "You all right, mate" as you do over there. That is so admirable. And we drop our good manners as we're running, and unfortunately, we don't stand unobtrusively to observe what's going on. Those gunmen have lousy manners and I'm sure they are passing audible remarks as they shoot.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t have believed anyone if they told me that I have too much time on my hands. When admonished in this manner, in my early years, meant that I am going to get into trouble if I persist in that activity. I hate to admit it, but there is a certain amount of validity in that accusation, and I realized it when I found myself in front of my washing machine and trying to figure out the differences between the various operations in all the modes. I know the dial read For Gentle Knits and another for Permanent Press, but what exactly happens in each mode? For the past twenty seven years, we never ventured an attempt to find out. We experimented, but only between the tried and proven choices. Small load, regular or large. We even tried extra large and varied the amount and temperature of the water, but that was the extent of our choices.
ReplyDeleteI will not bore you with the speed and variation of the rotating parts when going “out of the box’ but now I know. It wasn’t as interesting as watching a decent TV program, but I managed to grow my knowledge and satiated my doubts, after closely watching the differences.
Tomorrow, I will explore my thermos bottle, a high tech device that will maintain the temperature of either or cold or hot liquid. My search will focus on the burning question, how do it know?
Mike: Happy to hear about the relationship you have with your washing machine. I look forward with great trepidation, hoping that bonding with your thermos bottle is less PTSDish. Your vivid story brings tears to my eyes--but what does it have to do with the blog? I suggest that you read Frost's poem about Fire and Ice ...might help you to understand the thermos. Then you can work your way to the Vacuum.
DeleteMike, why don't you leave it to the R & D dept. of the washing machine manufacturers to sort out how the differing cycles actually do what they do? That's what you're paying them for, after all! If they tell you a cycle is for woollens, trust them, and use it for woollens. (Mm - just noticed something disturbing: "use" is an anagram of "sue.")
ReplyDeleteGet some good DVDs of movies from your golden years to watch, to fill the vacuum (tee-hee!) in your life. Actually, I've just got some DVDs of silent movies. It's not because they're of my time (obviously) but because I like a DVD to "not-watch" when I'm studying a new subject, like a language: it takes the weight off somehow. Right now I'm studying Musical Composition so a sound track would get in the way: enter Keaton, Chaplin, Lugosi, et al.
Baron - didn't you get my comment on yours of the 11th Jan., or didn't you like it? Also, I've sent you an email asking for your learned views on the poet Carl Sandburg, especially his poem "Two Strangers Meet."
Bfn to yous two lovely guys! Cuzzin Ruth